Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have developed a groundbreaking 3D printing technique to create high-performance thermoelectric materials, significantly cutting down costs and reducing waste. Published in Science, their study showcases a new way to build solid-state refrigerators that could transform cooling applications, from electronics to medical treatments.
Rethinking thermoelectric cooling
Thermoelectric coolers use electricity to transfer heat from one side of a device to another, enabling localized cooling. Unlike traditional refrigeration systems, they have no moving parts, no liquid circulation, and a long lifespan, making them an attractive option for electronics, medical devices, and wearable materials. However, manufacturing these devices using ingot-based techniques is expensive and inefficient, requiring extensive machining and generating excessive material waste.
The ISTA team, led by Maria Ibáñez, head of the Werner Siemens Thermoelectric Laboratory, and postdoctoral researcher Shengduo Xu, tackled this issue with a novel 3D printing approach. “Our innovative integration of 3D printing into thermoelectric cooler fabrication greatly improves manufacturing efficiency and reduces costs,” says Xu.
High-performance thermoelectric materials from a 3D printer
While all materials exhibit some thermoelectric effect, only “degenerate semiconductors”—doped materials that behave like conductors—produce a significant effect useful for real-world applications. The ISTA team’s breakthrough allows for the direct 3D printing of high-performance thermoelectric materials, eliminating the need for complex post-processing steps.
“With our present work, we can 3D print exactly the needed shape of thermoelectric materials,” says Xu. “The resulting devices exhibit a net cooling effect of 50 degrees in the air, matching the performance of traditionally manufactured materials but at a much lower cost.”
Optimizing material bonding for efficiency
Beyond adopting 3D printing, the researchers developed a specialized ink that enhances the bonding between particles as it dries. This improves charge transfer and boosts overall thermoelectric performance, setting their approach apart from previous attempts at 3D-printed thermoelectric materials.
“We designed the ink formulation to ensure the integrity of the printed structure while boosting particle bonding,” explains Ibáñez. The result is a stable and high-performance thermoelectric cooler that rivals ingot-based devices, all while saving energy and materials.
Expanding applications beyond cooling
This breakthrough isn’t just about cooling electronics. Thermoelectric devices have potential applications in medical treatments, such as burn care and muscle strain relief, where localized cooling is beneficial. Additionally, the same ink formulation technique could be applied to thermoelectric generators, which convert heat into electricity—potentially unlocking new ways to harvest waste energy from industrial processes.
“We successfully executed a full-cycle approach, from optimizing the raw materials’ thermoelectric performance to fabricating a stable, high-performance end-product,” says Ibáñez.
With a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and scalable method now in place, this work could reshape the future of thermoelectric technology, making it more accessible for industries looking to improve cooling efficiency, energy harvesting, and sustainable device production.
